The following overlapping and converging trends require a careful consideration of what ought to constitute demand response (DR) ready capability for air conditioners (ACs) in India: a) Increasing peak load from air conditioners (ACs) b) Plans for increased intermittent renewable generation capacity and c) increased numbers of appliances with “smart” functionality. In India, given the likely estimated future growth in ACs will add load of ~60-100 GW, DR ready ACs can provide an opportunity to mitigate this peak demand. However, DR implementation in India will require considerations that are different from those in the United States (US) and Australia. For example, cell-phone penetration in India is higher than broadband Internet penetration. In this paper, we present a draft specification for DR-ready appliances in India, building from international experiences and from existing IEC standards. We present this specification in order to begin the debate about what such a specification ought to consider, including issues such as the need for automation, bi-directional communications and low latency requirements (or fast response from loads).